City council voted to adopt a new Moose Jaw Street Sweeping Program document that outlines the level of service expected from the city when it comes to street sweeping.
One of the big changes is that the street sweeping program will follow the waste collection zones to better communicate with the public about where sweepers will be and to avoid parking issues.
"Having residential street sweeping connected to waste collection zones takes irregular impact between waste collection and sweeping, and makes it regular," said Director of Operations Bevan Harlton.
"So, we now have defined waste collection zones. We now know where we will put our sweepers, and we either work through or around that as the work comes into that zone."
Harlton added that administration's motivation to look at a document like this started at the council table.
"From council, we had a lot of discussions around Key Performance Indicators, so it was interesting to see that the council-led discussion was being met by administration through these service-level needs," he explained.
Coun. Jamey Logan said he was in favour of the change because it is simple and easy for residents to understand.
"It’s going to be so much easier for people to not wonder where the street sweepers are today. They’ll just know what’s in their zone, and I think it’s awesome. So thank you for that," Logan commented.
The city's street sweeping program is typically completed by the end of June or early July. For instance, it was finished by July 9 last year.
However, the street sweeping program has no formal process when it comes to service levels, and schedules have been posted on the city's website.
The service levels would focus on response times, availability, accuracy, and the scope of services.
Coun. Heather Eby said what she likes is that the document outlines when street sweeping takes place and why.
"It’s important, and it’s in here as well, but it’s based on seasonal conditions," said Eby.
"If we’re going to have to go out and sweep early and then we get freezing rain and have to put sand down again, it would make no sense. I like that that was captured in here, and hopefully, the public will realize that the way we do things is actually done for a reason."
Councillors Chris Warren and Patrick Boyle added that they like the fact that the document shows how the budget money is spent and how much more it would cost to enhance services.
Previously, the scope of work was tracked internally without formal priorities, with just an understanding that the downtown core and arterial roads were prioritized.
The document ultimately defines the current comprehensive sweep into two categories. The first is commercial street sweeping, which is focused on commercial, high-traffic areas such as downtown, where the work is largely completed at night. Residential street sweeping will be divided by the waste collection zones, with no parking signs, and is usually completed during the day.
The city will review the timelines and service delivery at the end of the 2025 construction season to look at ways to increase productivity by connecting street sweeping with waste collection zones. It will also consider the possibility of expanding fall street sweeping to help with the storm sewer system or possibly additional street sweeping downtown.
"I would prioritize the fall sweeping and put our commitments to that more formally. That would do a lot of service for our storm sewers, but that would be something we’d look at after we get through the season and see what it takes to get us through the comprehensive sweep," said Harlton.
The city's operations and IT departments are also looking at ways to offer mapping and other ways of communicating with the public about street sweeping.
Also under consideration this year is replacing the paper signage for "no parking" with sturdier signage, such as pylons and sandwich boards. Towing, while not an option right now, could be considered in the future.
"We’ve made a lot of gains working with the police service and gaining support from our Commissionaires. By holding to our 24-hour communication timeline and working in regular zones, I think we’ll have an easier time working with the police service and Commissionaires. However, towing is something we’d be looking to expand potentially in future iterations," said Harlton.